The Narrator In All The Light We Cannot See
Alternating between three culturally distinct narrators, Boyden grasps the complex perspectives and factors within the story, as presented by Christophe, a Jesuit missionary, Snow Falls, an Iroquois teen, and Bird, a Huron warrior. The National Post describes the narration as a "powerful and convincing depiction of both faiths”, referring to the Aboriginal and European narrators. Boyden tells the story of conflict between tribes that is ignited following a series of killings as well as the kidnapping of Snow Falls. Sent from New France to convert the natives, Christophe travels with Bird and the Huron tribe. The Orenda is filled with action and scenes of brutality (Nurse). Donna Bailey Nurse describes it as “very violent work, full of the most grotesque descriptions of ritualized torture that I’ve ever
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encountered." Boyden describes the violence in detail, necessary to create an realistic depiction of the the situation. Although the topic of Canadian history is very relevant to us as Canadians, the reviews presented The Orenda as too violent and not as thematically interesting as other evaluated novels, such as All The Light We Cannot See.
All The Light We Cannot See tells the tale of two children caught in the violence of World War II. The novel describes two parallel stories, of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind daughter of a locksmith in Paris, and of Werner Pfenning, an orphan raised in Germany. The story opens in August of 1944, during the German occupation of France. Both children are experiencing the horrors of war but from opposite positions, the invader and the invaded. Late in the novel their paths cross, and critic Justin Cartwright claims this to be one of the few flaws of this novel.
Despite the potentially flawed storyline, critic Carmen Callil describes Doerr’s work as a page-turner, calling it “entirely absorbing." She does' however, criticize the style in which it is written, stating that no noun is left without at least one adjective.
However, she goes on to say that the “talent of the storyteller surmounts stylistic inadequacies and ultimately defies one’s better judgement." (Calill). Despite the descriptive writing and late connection of the main characters, All The Light We Cannot See contains more interesting and relatable characters and plot for our English course.
Upon reviewing these three novels, all three seem to be great novels, however, one in particular appears to be most fitting for our purposes. The Goldfinch, as presented by reviews, is too descriptive, improbable and symbolic for our interests. The Orenda, is described as an instant classic, however, it may be too vulgar for the interests of our course. Based on its theme I feel that All The Light We Cannot See would be more for a first-year university student because it appears to be both challenging and interesting, and would appeal to a broad range of
students.
encountered." Boyden describes the violence in detail, necessary to create an realistic depiction of the the situation. Although the topic of Canadian history is very relevant to us as Canadians, the reviews presented The Orenda as too violent and not as thematically interesting as other evaluated novels, such as All The Light We Cannot See.
All The Light We Cannot See tells the tale of two children caught in the violence of World War II. The novel describes two parallel stories, of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind daughter of a locksmith in Paris, and of Werner Pfenning, an orphan raised in Germany. The story opens in August of 1944, during the German occupation of France. Both children are experiencing the horrors of war but from opposite positions, the invader and the invaded. Late in the novel their paths cross, and critic Justin Cartwright claims this to be one of the few flaws of this novel.
Despite the potentially flawed storyline, critic Carmen Callil describes Doerr’s work as a page-turner, calling it “entirely absorbing." She does' however, criticize the style in which it is written, stating that no noun is left without at least one adjective.
However, she goes on to say that the “talent of the storyteller surmounts stylistic inadequacies and ultimately defies one’s better judgement." (Calill). Despite the descriptive writing and late connection of the main characters, All The Light We Cannot See contains more interesting and relatable characters and plot for our English course.
Upon reviewing these three novels, all three seem to be great novels, however, one in particular appears to be most fitting for our purposes. The Goldfinch, as presented by reviews, is too descriptive, improbable and symbolic for our interests. The Orenda, is described as an instant classic, however, it may be too vulgar for the interests of our course. Based on its theme I feel that All The Light We Cannot See would be more for a first-year university student because it appears to be both challenging and interesting, and would appeal to a broad range of
students.